Page 19 of Born into Sin

Satisfied I have everything I might need, I text Svetlana to let her know I’m ready, and less than twenty minutes later she’s knocking at our door.

“Hey, Aunt Jolene.” She gives my mom a big smile and grabs a banana from the counter. She’s cool as a cucumber, whereas I’m pretty sure I’m visibly sweating through my shirt. She gives me a chill the fuck out look as she pulls the peel down and takes a big bite. I try like hell to keep calm, but I must be doing a piss-poor job of it because as soon as she’s tossed the peel in the garbage, she says, “Well, we better get going. I told Val we’d be over there in an hour, and I don’t want him worrying.”

“You two have fun.” My mom gives us both a hug and kisses our foreheads, telling us she loves us and to text when we get there.

“I will. Love you too,” I tell her, hoping we don’t get caught tonight, because I’m not so sure I’ll be able to bear the disappointed look my mom will give me if this plan fails. Turning to Svetlana, I sling my bag over my shoulder and follow her out before I lose my nerve. My desire to follow the rules is strong, but my desire to possibly catch another glimpse of Dominic is stronger, and there’s no use denying it.

As soon as we’re in the elevator, Svetlana sighs and leans against the wall. “Tell me you packed something slutty to wear.”

I can’t help but laugh when I meet her eyes. “I packed the pink, sequined dress.” There’s no need to elaborate. She knows exactly what I’m talking about because she was there when I bought it, whispering in my ear that I had to get it like the little devil of temptation she very often is.

“Perfect.” Her brown eyes gleam with pure mischief when the elevator doors open and we step into the parking garage. Grigori and Feliks are already waiting in the black SUV that’s been a staple of my life. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t have one following me. We give them a wave and then get in Svetlana’s car.

“Are you going to tell me the plan?” I finally ask when we’re about twenty minutes into the drive.

She lets out a soft laugh. “No way in hell. We still need to act normal in front of Val and the others. If they get suspicious, we’re fucked. I love you, Natty girl, but we both know you have a terrible poker face.”

I laugh at the nickname and shake my head, but I don’t bother arguing. We both know she’s right. The rest of the drive is spent singing way too loudly and definitely off-key until she turns onto the gravel driveway and the large, white farmhouse comes into view. Our Aunt Emily is really into flower gardening, and the tulip beds she planted out front several years ago are in full bloom, making the place look even prettier than usual.

Svetlana parks next to her brother’s car. It’s a gorgeous Jaguar in the prettiest burnt orange color I’ve ever seen. Sleek and sexy are the two best words to describe it, and he treats it like his baby. Val’s always been more on the quiet side compared to the others, but get him started on his car, and he’ll never shut up.

I hear the distant sound of motors revving, and I let out a sigh of relief. If they’re out riding, then I won’t have to face them for a few hours. Grigori and Feliks pull in behind us, and it doesn’t escape my notice that they’ve blocked us in with their large vehicle. When I give a worried look to Svetlana, she just gives me a wink like it’s no big deal. Apparently whatever she has planned doesn’t include her car.

The two men follow us inside. They know the drill, so they make themselves at home. They’ll sleep in shifts tonight so one of them is always awake to watch the house and make sure everything is safe, but for now, they each grab a bottle of water and head for the back deck.

“We’ll be out here if you need us,” Feliks tells me on his way out.

“Okay. I’ll let you know when the pizza is ready. Mom stocked up on the sausage and pepperoni ones you guys like so much.”

He gives me a big smile. “Thanks, Natalya.” He pats his flat stomach. “I need to be careful about all the pizza you two feed me. My girlfriend is going to start complaining.”

I laugh because the man is built like he lives in the gym. “I really doubt that.”

“She puts up with my crazy hours, but I can’t ask her to tolerate crazy hours and love handles. She’ll be kicking me to the curb so fast it’ll make my head spin.”

“If you want to sneak off and spend the night with her, you can,” Svetlana tells him, giving him an innocent I’m just trying to be helpful look. “We won’t say a word.”

He laughs and looks back at Grigori. “Can you imagine what they’d do to me if I left?”

Grigori raises a dark brow. “I don’t need to imagine it. I’ve seen it, and so have you. Your girlfriend puts up with a lot, but I’m guessing she probably won’t stick around if you come home without a dick.”

“Jesus,” I groan. “They wouldn’t do that.” When both men hesitate, I add, “Would they?”

Instead of an answer, Grigori says, “We’ll be on the back deck if you need us.”

After they leave, I look at Svetlana. “We’re keeping our asses inside tonight,” I whisper.

“Like hell we are,” she whispers back.

“Our dads apparently cut off dicks when they’re angry, Sveta. I don’t want Feliks and Grigori getting in trouble. It’s not fair to them.”

She can tell I’m freaking out, so she comes to stand in front of me, grabbing my shoulders and forcing me to look at her. “They won’t get in trouble. I promise. I’ve got it all planned out, and even if we do get caught, I’ll make sure they know it isn’t their fault. I’ll take the blame for everything.”

“We’ll take the blame,” I say, because no way in hell would I let her fall on the sword all by herself. I may be terrified, but I’m not an ass. We go down, we go down together.

By the time the guys are racing out of the woods on their dirt bikes, the pizzas are cooling on the counter, and Svetlana and I have already filled our own plates. Grigori and Feliks join us, more than happy to eat supper and joke around with us. They feel like part of the family at this point, but we all know the nice, laid-back attitude they show us only extends so far. They have no problem telling us no if we try to do something that could potentially get us hurt or that they feel is unsafe. At the end of the day, they work for and answer to our dads, and none of them take that lightly.

When everyone has eaten their weight in pizza and Feliks and Grigori go back outside, Val looks over at us. “So you two want to hang out with us? We’re going to be gaming all night.” He motions his hand towards his cousin. “Max is under the impression that he can beat my high score. I told him it’s not going to fucking happen, but you know how stubborn he is.” He wiggles his fingers and adds, “He thinks those piano hands of his can beat the superior dexterity of mine.”

---